Tag: Norfolk

The Commons in the Wars of the Roses, 15th Century History, Parliamentary Life, Social history

Divorce, cuckoldry and bastardy: two unhappy medieval marriages

Today’s blog comes from Dr Charles Moreton, senior research fellow in our Commons 1461-1504 project, who begins our latest blog series all about parliamentarians’ marriages. Here Dr Moreton turns his attention to two particularly unhappy medieval marriages… Unlike some of the blogs to come in this series, the following offers a couple of examples of unhappy marriages. Both of the parliamentarians in question, Sir Thomas … Continue reading Divorce, cuckoldry and bastardy: two unhappy medieval marriages

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Medieval, 15th Century History, Parliamentary Life, The Commons in the Wars of the Roses

Ambassadors in the late middle ages

March’s medieval offering is from Senior Research Fellow, Dr Charles Moreton, who is currently working on our 1461-1504 project. Charles previously worked on our 1422-1461 volumes which are due for publication in the coming weeks. Today he discusses the crown’s ambassadors in the late middle ages… As attested by the recent travails of Her Majesty’s recent representative in Washington, the role of ambassador is not … Continue reading Ambassadors in the late middle ages

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Medieval, 15th Century History, Legal history

Conversations with a medieval MP: Sir Thomas Billing and the Pastons

This month’s Medieval MP of the Month is highly esteemed fifteenth century lawyer, Sir Thomas Billing. Here’s Dr Simon Payling of our House of Commons 1422-1461 Section with more… THE HISTORY OF PARLIAMENT: THE HOUSE OF COMMONS 1422-1461, edited by Linda Clark, is out now. For further details about the volumes, including purchasing information,  visit the Cambridge University Press website, here. It is rare to have … Continue reading Conversations with a medieval MP: Sir Thomas Billing and the Pastons

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Medieval, 15th Century History

The Knight’s Daughter: a newly discovered child of an old MP

Dr Hannes Kleineke of our House of Commons 1422-1504 project discusses the significance of a new archaeological discovery in Norfolk to medieval parliamentary history… A comment with which the medieval historian is all too frequently confronted is ‘I thought it has all been done.’ This might indeed be so, were it not for the singular wealth of evidence, mainly in unpublished manuscripts, but also in … Continue reading The Knight’s Daughter: a newly discovered child of an old MP

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Medieval, 15th Century History, Parliamentary Life, Social history, Women and Parliament

A medieval MP’s Valentine’s Day Letters

Dr Hannes Kleineke of the 1422-1504 Commons explains how the commercial holiday we now recognise as St Valentine’s Day was observed by a young lover in the fifteenth century… It is a little known fact that the earliest known Valentine’s letter was in fact addressed to an MP, albeit a future one. In February 1477 Margery Brewes, soon to be married to the Norfolk gentleman John … Continue reading A medieval MP’s Valentine’s Day Letters

Hannes Kleineke2 Comments